Cindy Young-Turner

Book reviews: princes and thieves and mayhem

Just wanted to share a couple reviews I’ve posted on Goodreads. I’ve been reading some great books lately. I’ve also been working my way through Stephen King’s Dark Tower series. Not sure why I waited so long to read it. I am loving it so far. I recently finished The Wolves of the Calla and am almost ready to start Song of Susannah. So I’m getting close to the end. I think I’ll do a long post with my thoughts on the whole series once I’m done with it.

Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Prince of Thorns is dark, gritty, and very violent. Somehow Mark Lawrence makes me care about Jorg Ancrath, the fourteen-year-old protagonist who has few, if any, redeeming qualities and a penchant for doing whatever it takes to get what he wants. The flashbacks offer a glimpse into the torment that plagues him, but his pain certainly doesn’t make him a better person. He’s not supposed to be. To me that’s the power of this book. I hate what Jorg does, but somehow I’m fascinated by him at the same time. The first person point of view makes it a compelling story. Jorg tells it like it is, never apologizing for his actions and feeling very little remorse, but he has a certain charm that makes you invested in his story. Interesting world building also. I’m curious to see what awaits Jorg in King of Thorns.

The Child Thief by Brom

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is an amazing, dark, and violent reimagining of the Peter Pan story. It is definitely NOT your Disney Peter Pan. In the author’s note, the author mentions that he was intrigued by this line in the original book: “… when they seem to be growing up, which is against the rules, Peter thins them out…” I haven’t read the original, but I can see why this particular line would be so interesting. The Child Thief brings out the callous, selfish nature of Peter and combines it with celtic mythology to create a unique and fascinating tale. It is violent and rather graphic. At one point I started to feel like there were way too many heads cleaved from shoulders, but I couldn’t stop reading. I was riveted by the characters and the plot and raced through to find out how it was going to resolve.

View all my reviews

Flash fiction: The Headsman’s block

Indies Unlimited, a wonderful site that supports independent authors, has a weekly flash fiction challenge. They post a photo and ask for 250-word stories. I’ve been thinking about doing it for a while and finally one came up that caught my interest: http://www.indiesunlimited.com/2013/09/07/flash-fiction-challenge-the-headsmans-block/. Here’s my story.

The Headman’s Block

They force me to my knees before the headsman’s block. My stomach churns, like I want to heave up last night’s roast venison. Is poaching a few deer so bad? A man deserves some comfort, don’t he? I breathe slowly and stare at the deep grooves criss-crossing the stump, thinking of all the other outlaws who lost their lives here. All but Robin, that is. No, not the Robin you’re thinking of. Robin of Mortwood Forest was his name and don’t you forget it. They don’t tell many tales about our Robin, but they should. He’s the only man to ever escape the block.

“Don’t worry about me,” Robin would say with that smirk of his. “They’ll never get my head. You know why? Because I believe, boys. I believe in the magic of the forest and it’s going to do right by me when the time comes.”

And darned if he didn’t speak the truth. They say the headsman swung his axe and Robin vanished, body, head, and all. They say that stump just swallowed him whole, like the forest spirits called him home. Wish I’d seen it.

Me, I’m trying to believe, but I’m not feeling anything from this here stump. I start praying to the forest gods and the trees and the leaves. Even the acorns. Sunlight glints on the axe. I’m not near as brave or smart as Robin, but I’ve had a good life, haven’t I? I close my eyes and lower my head.

Thunk.

MIND: The Beginning by Jenn Nixon

Congratulations to Jenn Nixon on her new science fiction release, MIND: The Beginning. Jenn is another great Crescent Moon Press author. I’m excited to be part of her blog tour and I have a fun excerpt to share. First let’s find out more about the book.

After Dina Ranger loses telepathic contact with her brother, she breaks into his apartment and stumbles onto a special government unit responsible for monitoring the psychic population. She’s offered a job where she can use her psionic gifts to help people.

Stranded on earth over a hundred years ago, Liam of Shria is searching for a metal needed to repair his ship when he finds Dina, a telepathic investigator, and narrowly saves her from an exploding alien pod. Together, they uncover a plot to rebuild an ancient weapon and discover the truth behind Dina’s abilities while unlocking dangerous secrets about the alien presence on earth.

Can they stop a powerful weapon meant to enslave the human race? Can their relationship survive the secrets of the past or will it tear them apart?

Get your copy of MIND on Amazon!

Excerpt from MIND: The Beginning

The woman’s phone rang for the second time in ten minutes. Someone really wanted to talk to her. Considering it was five in the morning, he assumed it was one of the two men she’d been with at the visitor’s center. Liam had an inkling she needed to answer the next call.

“Going to have to wake her…” He crossed the motel room and shook Dina’s shoulder. She mumbled, rolled away, and stretched her legs down the bed. Come on, wake up.

I’m awake, get out of my head. “And stop staring at my ass.”

“Did that earlier when I put you to bed.”

“Oh, ha, you’re a funny alien.” She blinked, the expression on her face changing slowly as she moved to the edge of the bed and sat up. “This is all real; it’s not some psi ability.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“You…look human.”

“Frankly, so does the vast majority of intelligent evolved life out there. We’re all made up of the same bits and pieces of the universe. Those shows you humans entertain yourselves with are so far off base.” Liam smirked, thinking of all the fantastically bizarre creatures science-fiction had turned out over the years.

“We all look the same?”

“Not the same, similar. Various differences, skin tone, hair and eyes, appendage length, shape—”

“Powers? You were invisible, teleported, what else can you do?”

“A lot. Most humanoids have psionic traits in their genetics, only some develop depending on their planetary conditions and evolution. I come from one of the older, more advanced planets in the universe.”

“Okay, information overload, let’s take it down a notch.”

“We’re going to be interrupted shortly anyway.”

Dina’s phone rang. Her eyes expanded wide. “You’re a precog too?”

“No,” he replied with a chuckle. “Third phone call. That’s why I woke you. I figure it’s important.”

Author Bio: Jenn’s love of writing started the year she received her first diary and Nancy Drew novel. Throughout her teenage years, she kept a diary of her personal thoughts and feelings but graduated from Nancy Drew to other mystery suspense novels.

Jenn often adds a thriller and suspense element to anything she writes be it Romance, Science Fiction, or Fantasy. When not writing, she spends her time reading, observing pop culture, playing with her two dogs, and working on various charitable projects in her home state of New Jersey.

Website: www.jennnixon.com

Facebook: facebook.com/JennNixonAuthor

Blog: www.jennafern.blogspot.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/jennnixon

Crescent Moon Press: http://www.crescentmoonpress.com/books/Mind.html

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Jenn-Nixon/e/B002BLNBBQ/

Past Release: Romantic Suspense, Lucky’s Charm

New mystery series from M.L. Doyle

I’m excited to announce the publication of the Master Sergeant Lauren Harper Mystery series by M.L. Doyle. Full disclosure, Ms. Doyle is a member of my critique group and I’ve had the pleasure of reading and critiquing her books over the past few years. She recently released the first two books in the series, The Peacekeeper’s Photograph and The Sapper’s Plot. I’m not a mystery reader and have no military background, but these books hooked me because the protagonist is such a unique and strong character. Not to mention the edge of your seat action!

The Peacekeeper’s Photograph

The NATO mission in Bosnia is to broker peace between warring factions and help restore a devastated county.

It’s a mission the world is watching.

But when Master Sergeant Lauren Harper makes a gruesome discovery, she has a new mission. Saving herself.

Harper, a career soldier, is innocent of the crime, but she’s guilty of a lot of other things, like inappropriate feelings for her commanding officer, Colonel Neil McCallen and failing to lead a soldier who needed her help.

To get out of the mess she’s in, Harper must employ all of her wits and the help of an unexpected friend from across the pond, Sergeant Major Harry Fogg.

Her mistakes land Harper in the worst trouble she’s ever faced. She is forced to choose. Save herself and risk the lives of others, or stay, and face a life of degradation and slavery.

Get The Peacekeeper’s Photograph on Amazon

The Sapper’s Plot

The last thing Master Sergeant Lauren Harper needs is another difficult mission. Her ordeal in Bosnia left her traumatized and worn out. But a soldier doesn’t get to say no to official orders.

At least this time she’s embarking on a humanitarian mission. What could go wrong? Turns out, just about everything.

Harper travels with a group of Combat Engineers–also known as Sappers, to the tropical jungles of a Honduran village, only to find a gruesome murder. Cut off from the main base because of the hostile weather, Harper and a man she hoped she’d never see again, CW4 Fletcher Mayes, are forced to take charge of the investigation. Lurking in the shadows are sketchy-looking locals, insolent Sappers and an aggressive TV news team looking for a steamy scandal.

In the midst of it all, the arrival of Sergeant Major Harry Fogg provides some much-needed solace but also muddles her concentration.

Harper begins to think danger will find her wherever she goes, even in the deepest jungles of Honduras. At times, she feels her slightest movement will send her tumbling over a cliff–and heights are about the only thing Harper fears.

Get The Sapper’s Plot on Amazon

M. L. Doyle has served in the U.S. Army at home and abroad for more than two decades as both a soldier and civilian. A Minneapolis native, Mary currently lives in Baltimore, Maryland where she is busy writing mysteries and working as a civil servant. She is the winner of the Carey McCray Memorial Literary Award and her work was recently nominated for an NAACP Image Award. For more information, check out her website at http://mldoyleauthor.com.